How Ban Ki Moon threatened to take action but failed to follow through

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A year ago Ban Ki Moon choked back tears as he stood in the ruins of the UN compound in Gaza and demanded that the Israeli forces who attacked it should be brought to account.

The compound, which had been set on fire by Israel’s white phosphorus flares, was still smouldering.

In the UN Secretary-General’s hitherto lacklustre leadership, his emotional outburst looked like it would become a defining moment. Aides crowed that the former South Korean ambassador, who speaks halting English, had found his voice.

A year on, however, Mr Ban has abandoned his pledge to push for a full